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Cvareh returns home to his sky world of Nova with the genius crafter Arianna as his temperamental guest. The mercurial inventor possesses all the Xin family needs to turn the tides of a centuries-old power struggle, but the secrets she harbors must be earned with trust -- hard to come by for Ari, especially when it comes to Dragons. On Nova, Ari finds herself closer to exacting vengeance against the traitor who killed everything -- and everyone – she once loved. But before Ari can complete her campaign of revenge, the Crimson Court exposes her shadowed past and reveals something even more dangerous sparking between her and Cvareh.

While Nova is embroiled in blood sport and political games, the rebels on Loom prepare for an all-out assault on their Dragon oppressors. Florence unexpectedly finds herself at the forefront of change, as her unique blend of skills -- and quick-shooting accuracy -- makes her a force to be reckoned with. For the future of her world, she vows vengeance against the Dragons.

Before the rebellion can rise, though, the Guilds must fall.

The Dragons of Nova is the second book in the Loom Saga, so spoilers ahead if you haven’t read the first book, The Alchemists of Loom. You can find my 4.5* review of that here. And before I get started, I want to reiterate that this series is not Young Adult. Air Awakens, Kova’s first series, was YA, but this one goes further with its violence and …sexual… content, so it is firmly in the Adult camp.

Here’s the TL;DR version of this review: if you liked The Alchemists of Loom, you will love The Dragons of Nova.

The Dragons of Nova kicks off right after the end of The Alchemists of Loom with Ari and Cvareh flying up to Nova, while Florence is down with the Alchemists looking to start a revolution on Loom. The separation of Ari and Flo is a big deal, especially for Flo, who has to step out of the role of “sidekick” and become her own hero. So instead of getting the one big adventure, the arcs have split out, still connected but each a story in its own right. And everything was EPIC. Seriously. While it wasn’t as fast-paced as the first book, Kova still managed to achieve a lot, and all with a very healthy dose of sexual tension. (Would it even be a Kova book if there wasn’t sexual tension?)

I’ve read so much by Elise Kova and can’t seem to get enough. I’m a Kova addict. I don’t know how she manages to create sentences and stories so incredible, especially at the speed that I know she can write (10k/day sometimes). She’s got a particular talent for world-building, and the expansion into Nova allowed her to demonstrate that again. I could so easily picture each scene, like in this paragraph:

Diamond-shaped islands drifted like icebergs through tides of wind. Inverted towers and honeycombed living quarters had been carved into the shade of their underbellies. Sunbeams winked through the hollow spaces where gardens thrived and waterfalls fell into the nothingness below, spilling a seemingly infinite amount of liquid into the void as if it were tithing for an unknown god.

I don’t know why that paragraph called out to me so much. I think it was the imagery combined with the poetry of that last phrase.

But that’s not the only thing Kova can write well. Her characters are so fully formed that opening up the next book in a series is like reuniting with old friends. They’re real people with personalities and mannerisms. You know when you’re talking to someone on the phone or texting them, and you can picture their facial expressions clearly based on what they’re saying and how they’re saying it? That’s how well I feel like I know all of Kova’s POV characters in all of her books. And while we’re on the subject of POV characters, I liked the addition of Petra’s POV. She’s such a badass, fiercely caring but so ambitious and strong. (For some reason, I’ve associated her with Yara from Game of Thrones. Maybe because of the way she thinks of Cvareh as her second.) You can actually read more about her in her character profile.

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0: Couldn't finish1: Want my precious reading hours back2: Could have done without it3: It was good, but it's not an essential read4: Really liked it and glad I picked it up5: Absolutely loved it and would read again

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